Monstrous Compendium Vol. 1: Spelljammer Creatures
Frozen Sick
D&D Beyond Basic Rules
Basic Rules (2014)
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Monstrous Compendium Vol. 1: Spelljammer CreaturesFrozen SickD&D Beyond Basic RulesBasic Rules (2014)Sign in to view your library & saved favorites.
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CROSSPOST FROM DM'S ONLY
Howdy fellow DMs..
One of my players has come up with the following ideas for a few homebrew spells (Bladesinger Wizard) and I'd just like your input for balance (to balance out my own eternally worried thoughts of unbalanced stuff). I *do* like the engagement, interest and initiative on the player's part, so I want to be as respectful and accomodating as possible. So, what do you say - any edits or thoughts on balance?
1) NAME (Cantrip | Bonus Action, 30 ft range, S, 1 hour duration)
You enchant a creature with a faint magical glow visible only to them. For the duration, dim light, which only the target can see surrounds the target in a 10-foot radius centered on themselves. Only one instance can be active at a time; casting it again ends the previous The light moves with the target and can be dismissed as a bonus action
2) NAME (2nd lvl | Bonus Action, Self, V+S, Conc 1 minute)
You weave together threads of shadow to infuse the ranged weapon of your choice. Thus infused the weapon produces its own shadowy ammunition, which deals the same amount of damage as the normal ammunition. The damage type changes to psychic.
You use your spell casting modifier for attack and damage rolls. This magic ammunition lasts until the spell ends. When you attack a target that is in dim light or darkness, you make the attack roll with advantage.
When hit the target must make a Constitution Saving Throw against you spell DC. Failure: Shadowy tendrils erupt from the contact point of the shadow ammunition striking a number of targets within 30 feet equal to the number of damage dice suffered. These targets suffer spell damage modifier damage of the same type as the primary damage type.
At Higher Levels. When you cast this spell using a 3rd- or 4th-level spell slot, the damage die increases by 1. When you cast it using a 5th- or 6th-level spell slot, the damage dice increase by two. When you cast it using a spell slot of 7th level or higher, the damage increases by 3 dice.
3) NAME (6th lvl, ritual only (1 hour), self, S+M, concentration - see description)
When attaining sufficient training and experience, the Aladrinn of old were sent out on missions, where they would need to remain alone, and completely still for years at a time registering flow of events, the rise of tribes through a generation or the changing of sahauagin seasons under the great lakes. In such endeavours, the Phalang'ar would sever his link to his bodily needs for weeks of even months at end. Only very few knew the techniques and magic needed to enter this state of being and knew the risk, should the scout be exposed.
You enter a state of perfect psychic stillness, severing your dependence on the body's needs. Until your next long rest, while you maintain concentration, you gain the following benefits:
You remain fully conscious and aware throughout the duration. You must renew the ritual each day for the stillness to continue in the body. The spell ends if:
4) NAME (5th lvl | Bonus Action, Self, VSM, Conc. Up to 1 minute)
Ýou invoke the echo of the first elven bladesingers, weaving ancestral instinct into your Bladesong. For the duration, you gain the following benefits:
Your speed increases by 20 feet.
Your jump distance is tripled and uses your Intelligence instead of Strength.
When taking the attack action, you can loose one attack to either move half your movenment speed or take the dodge action.
You add your intelligence modifier when you roll for damage of your cantrips.
When you deal damage to a creature with both a weapon attack and a cantrip on the same turn, you gain temporary hit points equal to twice your Intelligence modifier.
When the spell ends, you cannot take reactions until the start of your next turn as the ancestral rhythm fades.
1) I'd like to rework it around Light (the only other comparable cantrip with a duration of 1 hour). In fact, I'd like to more or less mirror it with only Dim Light in a 10-ft radius - and just remove the "only the target can see it" (because it doesn't make sense).
2) This one worries me alot more. There's some wording and clunkiness to its weird Con Save-effect; I think I'd streamline it to something more static (like Prof Bonus or spell level) *and* lower the range from 30 to max 10 ft. I also don't like the "damage die" thing of upcasting (for both balance and simplicity reasons).
3) Weird with the ritual only, but that's for flavor purposes I guess. i don't have issues with this one off the top of my head.
4) Hodgepodge mess (and wording issues), but I get the central idea - more mobility, more generalized combat prowess. But it just does too many different things IMO.
Fingers crossed for competent input, while respecting the player's agency. <3
The cantrip should be a leveled spell. That's a very powerful effect for stealth missions. The 2nd level one seems fine. The 6th level spell is borderline useless, and it doesn't need to only be castable as a ritual. The 1 hour casting time is enough for that idea. The 5th level one is also really underpowered. It's basically just a couple of first level spells mashed together.
1) NAME (Cantrip | Bonus Action, 30 ft range, S, 1 hour duration)
Issues: Why is this a Bonus Action? Almost all cantrips are Actions, and this one should be too. It makes no sense for the dim light to only be visible to the target so I'd get ride of that, then it can stay a cantrip. There is also MASSIVE risk if the party includes a Gloomstalker Ranger, that would turn this spell into invisibility. So I'd add a caveat that non-magical bright light can illuminate the dim light created by this spell. If the player doesn't agree to the above, the current mechanics would be fine if it was instead a 1st level spell requiring Concentration (basically a lower-level Darkness).
2) NAME (2nd lvl | Bonus Action, Self, V+S, Conc 1 minute)
I kind of get the idea here, that this is like Shadowblade but a bow. However the wording is very bad. In the spoilers I have rewritten it so using proper wording.
Shadowbow (2nd lvl | Bonus Action, Self, V+S, Conc 1 minute)
You weave together threads of shadow to create a ranged weapon in your hand, this weapon has a range of 80 ft/300 ft, and magically summons ammunition for itself. You use your spellcasting ability for attack and damage rolls with this weapon. On a hit this weapon deals 1d6 psychic damage, and tendrils lash out at 2 other creatures of your choice within 30 feet of the original target each of which take psychic damage equal to your spellcasting ability modifier.
This spell ends immediately if you are no longer holding this bow.
At Higher Levels. When you cast this spell using a 4th or 5th level spell slot the initial psychic damage dealt by this weapon increases to 2d6 and the number of secondary targets increases to 3, when cast with a 6th or 7th level slot the initial psychic damage dealt increases to 3d6 and the number of secondary targets increases to 4, when cast with an 8th or 9th level slot the initial psychic damage dealt increases to 4d6 and the number of secondary targets increases to 5.
Alternatively, if they want to keep the concept of "infusing and existing weapon" then I would model the spell based on Flame Arrows, and I would rewrite it as below:
Shadow Arrows (3rd lvl | Bonus Action, Self, V+S+M(ranged weapon worth at least 1sp), Conc 1 minute)
You thread together strands of shadow infusing the bowstrings or barrel of one ranged weapon you are holding weave together threads of shadow to create a ranged weapon in your hand. This weapon now magically creates ammunition made of pure shadow, attacks with the weapon use your spellcasting ability modifier for attack and damage rolls, and all damage dealt by the weapon is psychic damage (Note: this does not remove the need to load the weapon if it has the Loading property). In addition, each time you hit with an attack from this weapon, a black tendril reaches out to one creature within 30 ft of the initial target causing them to take psychic damage equal to your spellcasting ability modifier.
4) NAME (5th lvl | Bonus Action, Self, VSM, Conc. Up to 1 minute)
Ethandruil's Dance (5th lvl | Action, Self, VSM, Conc. Up to 1 minute)
You infuse your body with the rapid rhythm and ethereal grace of the finest Bladesinger. Until the spell ends, you gain the following benefits:
3) NAME (6th lvl, ritual only (1 hour), self, S+M, concentration - see description)
This is an incredibly bad spell, TBH it most likely will impose a debuff (3 levels of exhausion) on their character for most of the adventuring day the way it is currently written. I honestly don't understand the point of it at all, and I would strongly urge you to instead create a feat for them as follows:
And then tell them they can earn that feat for free by seeking out Phalang'ar to study under. Then make a whole cool side quest involving finding Phalang'ar, being tested by him (or helping him with some threat he is fighting) to earn the priviledge of studying with him.